I was fortunate to find this at my local market after never seeing it from the usual bottle shops. It was the last one. Poured 650ml into snifter.

Pours orange-amber, butterscotch meets root beer type color...darker than most of this style. Good retention on a low volume head, the lacing slowly drips down the glass, not that sticky.

The nose starts out with fresh pine and gradually gives way to a well balanced malt character. It has an excellent clean, sweet, butterscotch-like finish. Floral and citrus tastes immediately give way to the big malt finish, sweet again with caramel and a bit of alcohol.

Oh yes this is a DIPA that you can sink your teeth into. It lets you know right away with the warmth of the mouth, but that does not take away from a surprisingly medium bodied feel.

The malt backbone on this one is big time and yet so well balanced. Packs a big punch as the name implies and not to be taken lightly. It would be difficult to take down multiple bombers of this beer but definitely will be buying this next time it's on the shelf. (1,060 characters)

Served in a tulip glass on Tap at Tony's. Poured a nice deep golden amber color into the glass with a white one finger head that quickly faded to lacing around the glass. The smell is a hop punch in the nose. Lots of citrus and pine stand out, not a lot of malt detectible. Taste is more of the same, lots of citrus and piney hops. It reminds me of the first time I had Sculpin. Flavors like grapefruit jump out. The mouthfeel is great for me. Syrupy hop resin makes this beer thicker, with body and bite. The hops tingle your tongue with each sip like hop pop rocks. Not overly bitter but enough to get you in the back corners of your mouth. This beer is smooth and very drinkable, but at 10% it won't be drinkable for very long. I really like what Bootlegger's is doing and I think this is their best offering by far. (819 characters)

Oily, slick and coating, this has a medium full feel with moderate carbonation. Juicy, bitter hops and sweet malts linger in the finish.

A DIPA that's right up my alley. I'm quite fond of the juicy, tropical, citrusy West coast style hops with a bold malt sweetness that can't be ignored. With no bottling date I can't be sure but the hop aromas/ flavors are bright enough that my guess is this is pretty fresh and I can see how freshness would have a huge impact on someone's perception of this. Either way, I truly enjoyed the bottle I was given and would happliy drink it again anytime. (1,280 characters)

Appearance- pours a sparkling orangish red with one finger of grainy white foam on top. it sticks to the glass and has some lacing. This one is pretty

Aroma- grapefruit, watermelon cantaloupe, flowers and strawberries even a bit of grandma's good soaps!

Taste- The Floral Hoppy nose leads to a sweet citrus forward punch in the tongue. It drops off almost immediately to a butter scotch candy finish with a slightly earthy after taste. I think this is very well balanced for a DIPA. Maybe a lot of late addition hops...

Mouthfeel- The booze is completely hidden. It was a little sticky/syrupy but all those hops have to be bittering something. Carbonation is well done

Overall- I think it is exemplary of the style. a big hop punch in the face, its beautiful in the glass. It is a beer I would sit in LA traffic for. It is a beer I would get a growler of and share with friends. But because it is such a pallet shredder i don't know if I would order multiples. Wow * days into the new year and I have a stellar beer in my glass Life is good ! (1,049 characters)

Can I handle a growler of this stuff for the next few days? On to the beer:

It's darker than other beers of the style. Shimmering, electric amber with hues of orange, yellow, and red. It shines at you like a jewel! It leaves some good creamy lacing as the head settles down. Lots of goodness in the aroma. A little crackery malt for the base, and lots of hoppiness. Grapefruit, pineapple, lychee, passionfruit, and resin all emerge.

Some DIPA's are bitter, some are balanced, and some are juicy. This is an example of a juicy DIPA. It's never goes bitter, and it doesn't fatigue your palate. At first, there a big burst of sweet orange. Afterwards, mango, grapefruit, passionfruit, pine, and a crackery maltiness creates the overall flavor that makes this beer great. The aftertaste is on the dry side, with little leftovers of dry malt and grapefruit. There's enough texture in the mouth, carbonation is low (but not anywhere near being too little), and there is hardly a trace of the 10% ABV being felt. Come to think of it, it's been awhile sicne I've had a beer this drinkable with this kind of strength.

The DIPA field is crowded, but Knuckle Sandwich can stick its head over most of the field with its different approach to your palate. Needless to say, put this on your wish list hopheads. (1,300 characters)

A: The pour is a clear amber color with a fluffy off-white head and great lacing.

S: A quick whiff gives one a blast of fresh citrus hops. Plenty of grapefruit and a touch of pineapple work wonderfully with the pine character.

T: The flavor is wonderfully balanced (in a west coast sort of way). The bitter and piney hops are the star of the show with plenty of grapefruit to go along with it. There is an ever so slight touch of caramel malt to go along with it.

M: The body is medium with a moderate level of carbonation and a dry finish--fairly standard here.

D: I would never have guessed that this is 10% ABV. Such an easy drinking and wonderfully hoppy DIPA. (692 characters)

Appearance: normal for a DIPA. Slightly darker than usual a nice light tangerine/ruby red color. Head is the perfect amount of white foam.

Smell: pretty mild on the nose. Malts are very present with a caramel-like sweetness. Hop notes of citrus and tropical fruits. Again, this is not an DIPA with a huge aroma to it.

Taste: First thing that stands out is how wickedly smooth this beer is for 10% ABV you would never think it. Alcohol is completely hidden. One of the most malt forward DIPA's I've had, as advertised on the label. Especially on the front the malty sweetness shows off its presence. As you move into the middle and finish the hops make themselves known coming across very tropical of mangoes, melon (rare), citrus, tangerine, grape fruit. A bit of floral, herbaceous notes are present as well. Ends with a normal DIPA bitter finish but it doesn't linger unpleasantly.

Mouth Feel: excellent, like the rest of the beer it is smooth throughout. No unwanted carbonation, crispness, syrupy/viscous quality or thin body. The body really fits with the overall style and in my opinion objective of the brewer.

Overall: This is a fantastic DIPA. It takes the hop notes of a traditional West Coast IPA (although more tropical fruits the grape fruit and citrus is very present and West Coasty) and adds a hefty malt backbone. This takes the best parts of West and East coast. I don't like the bone dry, no malt presence West Coast / San Diego IPAs, this really hits the spot by adding a big malt sweetness that complements and balances the beer. Get your hands on this one if you can. Would love to blind taste test this against the other top DIPAs. (1,658 characters)

The Bootlegger's Knuckle Sandwich pours a golden honey-like color in the mug with a thick white froth, good head retention, & nice lacing. The nose is absolutely amazing with pronounced aromas of grapefruit, apricot, mango, pine, fresh floral hops, spiced herbs, caramel, & fresh baked biscuits that follows through on the palate. The beer is full bodied, has a definite hop presence - however balanced with the malt - good acidity, smooth mouthfeel, & long finish. Although I have never had too many Bootlegger's beers, I heard about this one through the grapevine & couldn't pass up the opportunity to try it. In all honesty, I'm not one for DIPAs because I find them to be unbalanced, however, this DIPA is absolutely amazing! Highly Recommended! (793 characters)

A: Pours a deep golden amber with a thick and greasy tan head that faded into an oily collar that left strings of thick lace down the glass. S: Super fresh a potent scent of citrus medley coupled with tropical fruit nectars, flower gardens and perfume. Tropical fruits are sweet and mix well with an onslaught of grapefruit, orange zest, sweet ripe tangerines and clementines. Flowery perfume pokes through the mix as well. T: Bitter yet smooth notes of grapefruit pith, tangerine juice, orange rind, and sweet passion fruit, mango and papaya. Notes of flowers and sweet fruit nectars bring up the finish, and the aftertaste is tingly and sweet with a slight note or two of the base malt. Sweet tropical fruits linger long after the swallow. M: Thick and heavy mouthfeel, syrupy but not overly oily, greasy, or sweet. Carbonation is tingly and smooth, with a chewy body and extremely well hidden alcohol. O: Impressive nose, impressive tastes, very impressive mouthfeel. Drinks like a beer half the ABV. More than just a citrus bomb in taste, there is plenty of other hop profiles layered in the flavors. Nose is phenomenal, I definitely enjoyed this one. (1,184 characters)

A- Pours a deep amber/orange into my DFH glass. Small but thick head floats atop and fades slowly leaving a ton of sticky, drippy lacing!

S- A punch in the nose from the piney, sweet citrus! NICE! Pineapple, summer peaches, grapefruit, basil, wet hay and what seems like a ton of sweet malts! Hints of caramel and candied citrus.

T- WOW! Grapefruit, apricots, fresh cut pine, pineapples, spicy basil, and a load of sweet maltiness. What an amazing balance! The sweetness cuts thru the dank, piney hops... and the hops hold on and leave your tongue astringent, while leaving plenty of room for the caramel sweetness.

M- Thicker and more oily than most IIPA's thanks to the malt bill. Awesome citrus/pine punch that hangs on and doesn't let go. Tons of tropical fruit! Pineapple, mango, and citrus! I love the sweetness that shines thru!

O- I gotta get ahold of more of this. I have a feeling that with the sweet malts that hold this IIPA together... this could turn into a really nice Barleywine if properly cellered for a few years! This is damn close to perfection! (1,141 characters)

This beer pours as a non-remarkable brownish-amber that is topped with a 1/4" head and sticky, thick lacing clinging to the side of the glass.

The warmth and spiciness of the malt is almost like biting into a sweet bread, the taste sensation is felt in the sweet spots of the tongue and in the back of the mouth. Then the simcoe hops come in with a delicious bitterness. Wonderfully balanced with the malt.

Truly one of the top DIPAs currently brewed in the country. (518 characters)

Poured into a pilsner glass. Caramel orange with a stiff, creamy off-white, two-finger head, which as of yet isn't going anywhere. Big chunky pads of lace; this ones stickin around like your in-laws at Christmas.

Smells exactly like I expect a big west coast DIPA to smell. Pink grapefruit, and tangerine peel, with some sweet malt. No alcohol or yeast is detectable. This would be a great air freshener for my car.

Mmmm...Again, exactly what I have come to expect from a west coast DIPA. What a hop-bomb! Same citrus flavors as the aroma, pink grapefruit bitterness, and tangerine sweetness, and a slight hint of pine at the end. Great sweetness from the malt, but it definitely takes a back seat. There is some alcohol present, but If I wasn't reading the bottle, I would not guess 10%.

Lightly syrupy, great carbonation, which tickles my lips and tongue a little. Similar feel to a barleywine, but with more tongue wrecking bitterness. The sweetness masks the ABV very well.

As my palette has evolved, especially over the past year, the hop punch that I have always loved, has started to take second to the malt backbone in a lot of DIPA's like Pliny, and Dreadnaught. Knuckle Sandwich is proof that hopheads like myself can still enjoy an in your face celebration of bitter citrus hoppiness. (1,299 characters)

On tap at Whole Foods Venice for a Bootlegger's tasting event. Very suprised to see Aaron hooking up a keg along side a Black Phoenix tap already flowing. Pours amber-orange with a nice white head. The nose is lovely with a strong citrus note. Taste is well balanced with resiny hops and good malt backing. Did I mention the citrus? Very solid DIPA, right up there with the best. Grateful and pleased to have it again. Aaron is doing it well. Go seek it out, you'll be glad you did. (482 characters)

Big thick and tall, creamy to foamy light tan head, billowing like a giant fist off the pour and quite uniform in bubbles. Body color is very dark and nearly brown but goes to deep bronze red and just can see through it. Edges provide lots of lighter red and orange color, but bleeds like blood. Just creeping, slow, and small rising carbonation. Great looking brew.

Real neat aroma. Dank hints, a sort of mix of juiced garlic roasted sweet onion notes and faint fruit somewhat indistinct senses, kind of tangerine citrus barely. Somewhat complimenting, but not getting in each others way too much. Goes to hop smoke aromas also which is real nice. This I think could be off putting for some but I am enjoying it nicely.

Palate is just... uh... WOW... this is so thick and juiced with coating sugars. Pure icing sugar like feel. Thick brown sugar malt sweetness and practically like drinking hop maple syrup and thick toffee caramel. Palate brings some more big fruit notes, but the caramel sweetness takes over in an impressive way. Finishes with dank qualities, and big almost cherry and raspberry fruit pie like finish. Mild bitterness, just a bit sugary.

Overall this is really impressive and different from nose to palate. REally not what I was expecting making it that more impressive. It is however, just a bit too sweet, and it takes over from the hop aroma and flavors just a little too much. But dang this is going to drink fast. (1,494 characters)

A long lasting, light tan head provides staggering sheets of cotton candy lace to the glass, and sits atop a cloudy dark amber beautiful IIPA.

Wooaaahh, what a great aroma, a bit of caramel is all that holds together pine and citrus hoppitude, full of lesser mango, pineapple, even some nectarine in this complex and strong perfume. Think Abrasive, but a touch more complex.

The flavor of this defies proper description. I could break it down, but let's do it this way. It has the full malt bill of Maharaja, but it is easier to drink, more complex, and has more fresh hop flavor. It has the alcohol spice of Dreadnaught, but more complexity to hop profile. It has the hop profile to equal PTE, Abrasive, Hop Henge, Tricerahops, and Kryptonite, but more body in the malt bill, and more pleasant bittering. Just a mindblowing and wonderful treat.

This is where this beer really shines. How could it be this viscous, this full of flavor, have this stupendous of a finish, and be so easy drinking and light in mouth? Hopefully one day I will find out and put the knowledge into beers of my own making.

One of the top 4 IIPA I have enjoyed (PTE, HT, Abrasive the others). A must try, just superb. (1,264 characters)

well above average taste and mouthfeel. Taste is very malty sweet up front with alcoholic and sweet sweet fruits dominate. Pineapple, figs, grapefruit, and just pure dark sugars! An alcoholic taste mixed in with a perfectly carbonated mouthfeel. The mouthfeel is also sweet and medium bodied. This brew is a BIG surprise, unexpected. Great dipa! (447 characters)

Thanks to Sebowski who is a great BA. But, he is really a doochebag since he is a Redskins fan and my long time Fantasy Football commish! Cheers.

Pours with a thin head. Nice lacing on the glass. Darker redish in color. Smells fairly sweet and citrusy. Taste is a classic West Coast hop bomb. I don't detect much of the alcohol which is dangerous with the ABV. Worth seeking if you are a hop head. Recommended.

Rating is based upon average of bottles versus draft. Would certainly rate this on draft at 4.75 however the bottles received at the brewery were noticeably less impressive. Don't get me wrong, still a wonderful IIPA. No dates on the bottles however understanding they sell out of Knuckle Sandwich every few days, I assume they are fresh.

The draft at the brewery was more hop forward with a substantial malt base. With the bottle I find the hops to be less present with the malt still there. The good news is the heavier malt in both the draft and bottle product is pleasing. (584 characters)

22 oz. Bomber for $7.99, into a tulip. I was told this bottle was very fresh but I dont believe there's any bottle dating info. It was delicious regardless.

It's really a great looking beer, bright red/orange with a good sized peach-tinged white head. Left lots of nice lacing, especially on the second pour. The aroma is intense, I could easily smell it from a few feet away right after it was poured. I'd say the smell is a touch better than the taste, but both are full of tropical fruits, pineapple, papaya and peach are are all pretty prominent. Not super heavy on bitterness or pine aspects, definitely what I'd consider to be more of a juicy, sweet IPA. Carbonation is right where it should be and the drinkability is off the chart with little evidence of alcohol. Pretty impressive for a 10% beer, I would've guessed it was around 7.5%. Comparable in flavor profile to Sculpin, Just Outstanding, or Summer Yulesmith, so check this beer out if you like those IPAs. One of the better IPAs I've tried recently, I really wish it was available locally but at least the brewery is only a few hours away. (1,106 characters)

Half pint on tap at the brewery. This provided a much needed dose of lupulin after The Bruery's barrel tasting.

The beer is a darkish amber with a thin white head. Clarity is quite good.

The aroma is awesome. Huge resiny, sappy, evergreen goodness. A touch of dry biscuity malt, some candied grapefruit. More on the dry side, but there's a touch of sweet fruitiness.

It's light on the tongue, but massive in flavor. There's a lot of candied grapefruit and resiny pine. Some sugary sweetness too, but just a touch - this is far from being a malty DIPA. Strong but clean bitterness in the finish. This is a fantastic beer that I wish I could have enjoyed more of. (665 characters)